


in the light of the stars

by majesticmcold



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, I'll add tags as I update, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-16
Updated: 2015-02-09
Packaged: 2018-03-01 18:14:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2782802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/majesticmcold/pseuds/majesticmcold
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Star Wars au, ft. Jedi Knight Laura, Sith apprentice Carmilla, swoop bike gang leaders Danny and Kirsch, scientist LaF, Galactic Senator Lola Perry and young Jedi runaway Will Eisen. </p><p>Force-sensitives are disappearing; a group called the Lophiiformes (or "the Legion of the Light") is emerging from the darkness; the Silas Underground swoop gang rivalry is slowly making its way to an all-out war. Throw in Laura Hollis, newly-made Jedi Knight, who will uncover the mystery and change the fate of the galaxy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. prologue

The galaxy had been at peace for an unprecedented amount of years. The Galactic Senate was in turmoil, of course, but when was it not? Accusations of corruption and fraud were hurled at the politicians every day – true more often than not, but, naturally, following through to prove those accusations was an entirely different matter. Civil disputes erupted in isolated planetary systems, easily resolved by quiet Jedi intervention.

Planets turned. Stars flickered, burned, died. Life went on.

Then the light rose. Crueller than a cold star; an absolute and pure light that consumed anything it touched. The strongest light casts the darkest shadow, and this light was strong indeed. No one knew where it came from or how long it had been there – hardly anyone even knew of its existence. It was probably the one certain thing about the universe.

And it was constantly,  _eternally_ , hungry.

*             *             *

The ceremonial room was perfectly quiet, though Laura Hollis suspected everyone could hear the frantic thumping of her heart. It was warm too, in an ancient, dusty way; Laura could see faint silver specks twirling in the thin slice of moonlight that slipped in through the open door behind them.

‘Padawan.’ The word was a small cough from behind her, and Laura got the message. She nodded and stepped forward. The doors slid closed behind the young Jedi, and the room grew dark and silent. But the room pulsed with energy – with the Force.

Light flared up with a hum of plasma. The Jedi High Council surrounded Laura, their lightsabers illuminating the circle that Laura stood in the middle of. Lights of green and blue shimmered around her; the humming was a welcome sound that made Laura feel at ease. The Jedi Masters holding the lightsabers were solemn-faced, but from behind her, Laura could sense her Master’s pride like warm sunlight on her back

‘Step forward, Padawan.’

Master Lilita Morgan’s voice was cool, clear and commanding. Laura didn’t hesitate to obey. She knelt at the feet of Master Morgan, her long Padawan braid swaying. The braid was heavy with years of training, and Laura drew in a shaky breath.  _It all came down to this._

As the Master spoke, she lowered her lightsaber twice, to each of Laura’s shoulders. Laura’s ears tingled as the humming grew louder.

‘Laura Hollis. By the right of the Council and by the will of the Force, I dub thee … Jedi Knight of the Republic.’

Her Padawan braid fell to the floor as Laura stood. The place where it used to be tingled – the smell of singed hair tickled her nose – and Laura felt strange without it. She knew that it would have to be trimmed properly later and she resisted raising a hand to feel the stub of fuzz that was left behind. Instead, she bowed.

‘Thank you, Masters.’

Laura stood in the circle awkwardly for a little moment longer – what was she expected to do now? Was there something she had to say? Was there some part of the ritual her Master had forgotten to explain to her? Oh, Force, all the Masters were looking at her expectantly, but Laura’s head had gone completely blank –

‘Laura.’

Her Master saved her yet again. Laura jerked into another bow and took a few, stumbling steps out of the room before Master Morgan called her back.

‘Your braid, Laura.’

‘Oh!’ Laura gave the Master a sheepish grin before rushing back to pick up. ‘Thanks.’

Lilita smiled back gently as Laura followed her Master out of the Hall of Knighthood.

Laura couldn’t help but let out a tiny giggle of joy as she exited the room, Padawan braid clutched tightly in her hand. ‘I did it!’

Laura’s Master of the past twenty odd years took off her hood. Narisa Kaa, an Iktotchi Jedi, was smiling broadly. Narisa often appeared intimidating and aggressive to those not used to her – she suspected the reason was the horns that dangled down from the top of her head to rest below her shoulders; Laura wondered if it could have been her pale red skin and heavy brow. But that night no one could have mistaken her expression for that of joy.

‘Come here.’

Laura threw herself at her old Master, burying herself in the folds of her Jedi cloak.

‘I have never been more proud of you than I am right this very moment,’ Narisa said, resting her chin on the top of Laura’s head. She paused. ‘Okay, maybe that time you befriended that baby gundark.’

Laura laughed. ‘I almost died that day! Or close to it.’

‘Not until the adult gundark showed up.’

‘With a couple of its friends.’

Narisa grinned down at her ex-apprentice. ‘It was one of our more exciting ventures.’

‘I wouldn’t call it exciting. It gave me nightmares for a week!’

‘As I remember.’

They remained in an embrace for a few minutes, reflecting on the years they had been together. They had had their trials, no doubt – the Iktotchi Jedi had been warned against the human puberty period, but nothing they told her could have prepared her for the storm of emotions that they weathered. But they were close; both mother and daughter as well as best friends. Not one person in the entire galaxy knew Laura as Narisa did.

Laura pulled away and moved over to the window. Narisa watched her expression in the reflection carefully; she recognised the signs of a melancholic Laura.

‘You’re thinking about your father, aren’t you?’ Narisa asked gently.

Laura nodded. ‘I know it’s silly, but …’

‘It’s not silly.’

The stars shone brightly on the planet of Silas. Two moons – one smaller than the other – hung in the air above a nearby lake. The nights were consistently and curiously cold no matter how hot the day before had been, cold enough that the lakes froze over. The usual odd green mist had settled over the nearby forest, but Laura was so used to it by now she hardly thought it was strange.

‘He would be proud of you. You know that, yes?’

‘Yes, I do.’

It wasn’t that Laura missed her father – well, she did, in a sense; she missed what could have been, in a parallel universe where she had not been ripped from her father to be taken to the Temple. She missed her mother in the same way, wondering what life would be like had her mother’s life not been ripped from them both. It was not an  _I want to be with them_  sort of missing, but more of an  _I wonder where they are and what they’re doing now and how they feel_ sort of missing, and in some ways that was worse.

‘Come on.’ Narisa took her friend by the shoulder and guided her away, down the corridor. ‘Let’s go out. We can get some of that spiceloaf you like.’

Laura smiled. She had eaten spiceloaf from one end of the galaxy to the other, and she hadn’t yet found a spiceloaf that was as good as the one her father made. But it was good enough for now.

*             *             *

Carmilla Karnstein didn’t like to feel caged in. Cornered, captured – they were all words to describe the same feeling, the one that made Carmilla’s fingers turn into claws and her teeth into fangs. Which was why she had specifically asked for an adjustment to her sterile room.

Carmilla lowered the opacity to her ceiling, and smiled as the stars above grew visible. She had always loved the stars; her home planet, Anzat, rarely had stars – every night, red and orange fog rolled over to blanket the sky. The stars on Silas were the brightest she had ever seen.

‘ _Carmilla_?’ The voice crackled over the comlink, startling Carmilla out of her thoughts. ‘ _You’re needed.’_

She sighed.  _I had just gotten comfortable._ ‘Coming, Mother.’

Lilita Morgan had many names. To the majority of the galaxy, she was Jedi Master Lilita Morgan, member of the Jedi High Council and one of the most respected in the Jedi Order. To Carmilla, and those who shared Carmilla’s place in the inner circle of the Lophiiformes, she was “Mother”. To the other members who lived in their compound, they simply called her “the Dean.’

As Carmilla moved through the Lophiiformes compound, those she passed either nodded their heads or bowed slightly in acknowledgement. The position of the Dean’s apprentice and second-in-command naturally earned her a fair amount of respect. Carmilla barely noticed them.

The Dean was waiting for her in the training rooms. Carmilla paused at the doorway, taking in the sight before her – the Dean, still wearing her Jedi robes from that day, casting an impressive shadow over the kneeling and whimpering girl at her feet.

The Dean crooked a finger at Carmilla, and Carmilla didn’t hesitate to obey. Once Carmilla drew level with the girl, she bowed. ‘Master,’ she murmured.

‘Your latest acquisition has been a disappointment, Carmilla.’

Carmilla looked furtively at the trembling figure next to her. ‘She showed great potential during my surveying, Master.’

‘Oh, potential she has, no doubt. That much is clear; the Force is strong with her, though she may not know it.’

‘Then what’s the problem?’

‘She refuses to cooperate.’

Carmilla sighed. It happened every so often: some girls stubbornly stuck to their ideals, feigning heroics because they watched too many holovids and thought it would get them out alive. Some girls were harder to break than others; some were simply not content with the promise of power and strength.

The girl mumbled something unintelligible. Carmilla looked at her more closely, recognising her as the blonde human she had gotten from one of the ridiculous swoop gangs from the Silas underground.

She knelt, raising the girl’s chin with a pair of slender pale fingers. ‘What’s your name?’

‘E-Elsie.’

‘Well, Elsie. My mother tells me you haven’t been playing nicely with the other girls.’

Elsie refused to meet Carmilla’s eyes. No doubt she was thinking back to the night they met: a casual bump on Carmilla’s part resulting in a spilled drink, and they had spent the rest of the night talking in the club, before leaving the Silas Entertainment District for Elsie’s living quarters.

Elsie clamped her mouth shut. Above them, the Dean sighed.

‘I don’t have time for your show, Carmilla. Nor the patience. Either get her to join us or kill her.’

Carmilla straightened, completely unaffected by the pleading look in Elsie’s eyes. ‘We really have to find an easier way to get them to play along.’

‘I’m working on it. I might have found someone who can help.’

‘Help willingly?’

The Dean’s only reply was a wicked grin, and Carmilla shook her head, smiling a little herself. Sometimes, she barely recognised the Dean – a fellow Anzat, like Carmilla – as the same Lilita Morgan who had saved her from her parents’ assassins twenty years previous.

‘Alright.’ Carmilla held out a hand to Elsie, who ignored it. Not deterred, Carmilla pulled Elsie to her feet by the collar of her borrowed dark robes.

‘I’ll give you a fighting chance.’ Carmilla plucked her lightsaber from her belt and handed it to Elsie. ‘If you can best me, I’ll let you live.’

Oh, Carmilla would let her live – she wouldn’t let Elsie leave the premises, but she would have her life. Wouldn’t that be enough?

Elsie looked at the lightsaber. ‘But I don’t –’

Carmilla raised an eyebrow at her, and Elsie, seeming to realise that this was her best shot – whether or not she actually knew how to use a lightsaber – stopped talking.

‘Oh, and Carmilla?’ The Dean called from the doorway. ‘Keep it clean.’

A feral grin spread over Carmilla’s graceful features. ‘As always, Mother.’

Elsie almost looked startled as Carmilla crouched into a fighting stance. ‘What about your lightsaber?’

‘Don’t need one.’

Indeed, as Elsie watched as two, thin, whisker-like probes, previously hidden, extracted themselves from Carmilla’s cheeks, Elsie realised that Carmilla was not human, as she appeared to be. She was an Anzat, a member of what was arguably the best predatory species in the galaxy, infamous for their superior strength and reflexes, long lives and – most importantly – their ability to suck out a person’s life force.

All that, combined with Carmilla’s mastery of the Force, would have made Carmilla a formidable opponent, even to a skilled Jedi. As for Elsie …

‘Don’t worry, cupcake,’ Carmilla said, her voice a low, gravelly growl. ‘I’ll go easy on you.’

*             *             *

The low cavern was awash with the sounds of cheering and engines. Danny Lawrence, former Silas swoop racing champion and current leader of the Summer Society swoop gang, adjusted her helmet. Across the track, Brody Kirsch, leader of the Zeta Omega Mu gang, glared at her.

‘You’re gonna be scrap, Summer Psycho!’

Danny rolled her eyes and ignored him. Danny didn’t know much about Kirsch apart from that he was a newbie, not just to racing but also to gang politics, but he had a natural talent. He was a born leader and was uncannily good on a swoop bike, despite only having hopped on one a couple of years back.

Danny had been working and training all her life, only to commit a rookie mistake and gain an injury once she cracked the interplanetary leagues. The injury ensured she was never be able to go any further, so she had retreated to the underground to continue doing what she loved. She couldn’t bring herself to regret it – the SumSoc were her second family – but she couldn’t shift a niggling indignation whenever she watched Kirsch ride.

She bent to check on her swoop bike, making sure everything was in order.

‘Hey, where’s Elsie?’ Danny asked a fellow SumSoc member, who was passing. ‘She promised she’d help me out with my bike tonight.’

‘I don’t know,’ the Twi’lek, Ra’sha, replied, shrugging. ‘I haven’t seen her. I’ll ask around.’

‘Thanks.’ Danny stood, wincing as her back twinged.

Ra’sha noticed her leader’s expression. ‘Are you sure you can handle this?’

‘I’m fine,’ Danny replied firmly. ‘A little pain’s not gonna get in the way of me wiping the smirk off that Zeta bro’s face. And we need that prize money – we’ve got a couple of new members coming in who we need to find weapons and armour for.’

Ra’sha grinned. ‘Don’t worry, Danny. You’re the favourite for the race, I checked.’

Danny tried not to let a pleased grin escape as she closed the visor.  _Focus, Lawrence_ , she told herself firmly as she mounted her bike.  _You’ve got this._

There were, of course, more competitors than simply Kirsch. But, looking out in the crowd decked out in mostly either SumSoc or ZOM colours, it was impossible to tell. If you wanted to join a swoop gang, the Summer Society and the brothers of Zeta Omega Mu were the only gangs in Silas that mattered. They were the two best gangs in the underground, and their rivalry stretched back years – as far as anyone could remember.

Swoop races were unlike Podraces – they were marginally slower than Podraces, allowing for the participation of species with slower reflexes; not to mention, the tracks were generally shorter and deliberately spotted with obstacles. (The Silas track was admittedly one of the most dangerous in the galaxy; the obstacles had a habit of moving at random moments.) Instead of one massive race, there was only one lap and a time to beat – those who beat the time progressed to the next round. Needless to say, those who did not were kicked out.

This was their second-last round.

As the signal above them started flashing, indicating there were only two minutes until the start of the race, Danny revved her swoop bike, flashing a grin when she felt it purr. She had found the pile of scrap in a back room in the SumSoc base when she joined. She had taken it on as a special project, and was still going a year later when she taken over the mantle of SumSoc leader. Her duties and responsibilities meant it was difficult for her to finish, but she found a moment to work on it every day – she found it soothing.

This wasn’t the first time Danny had ridden it, but it was the first time Danny was taking it out for a race.

The cheers grew louder as the swoop bikes lined up. There were five in all, but Danny could already tell two of them were out even before they started. She dismissed one purely by recognising their out-dated model, and she eyed the other rider, noting the slight tremble in their leg.

Danny nodded, her game-face on. She had this.

The signal flashed green and Danny sped off – she had always had a knack for the fastest reaction time; back in the championships, they had called it almost Jedi-like. Predictably, Danny and Kirsch flew to the front, neck-and-neck. They zoomed around the first curve of the cavern track together – Kirsch bumped Danny slightly as he passed her, making Danny swerve to the right. Danny snarled under her breath and shifted gears same time she hit an accelerator pad. She felt the bike shudder beneath her, and she winced.  _Watch it, Lawrence._

Kirsch had managed to find a home run – a small portion of the track free of obstacles, and, thirty seconds after they left the starting line, they weren’t that far from the finish. Danny knew it didn’t really matter who crossed the line first as long as she beat the time, but this was a matter of  _pride._ She deftly avoided a hunk of rock sticking up from the ground, kicked the turbothruster and crossed over the line with Kirsch so closely that she wouldn’t be able to tell who was first until she looked at the times.

Her ears were ringing as she took off her helmet and shook out her long red hair. The SumSoc sisters who had come to watch her race were cheering loudly; she knew she had made the time at least. The ZOM brothers were hooting annoyingly, and, near them, a small group clad in purple was racing forward to clap their rider on the back.

Danny tried not to let her legs wobble as she made her way over to the desk. ‘How’d I go?’

‘Fastest time, Lawrence.’ The Togrutan race organiser beamed at her. The organisers loved Danny; she never failed to bring in a lot of money through gambling.

‘Yes!’

Kirsch’s scowling face bobbed up beside her. Danny pouted sarcastically.

‘Aw, what’s up, puppy? Hurt that I smoked your ass on the track – again?’

A muscle in Kirsch’s jaw clenched. ‘We both beat the time, so it doesn’t even matter.’

‘Whatever makes you feel better at night,  _bro_.’

Kirsch stepped closer. Danny raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed.

‘You’d better not come anywhere near Zeta territory for a while, Psycho Society.’

Danny snorted and turned away, waving a discreet hand towards the SumSoc sisters who had noticed their stand-off and were creeping closer with hands drifting towards the blasters and vibroblades at their hips.

‘Like I’d want to go anywhere near your pack of banthas. Anyway, I don’t really think you’re in any position to make threats.’

Kirsch’s brilliant blue eyes flashed dangerously. ‘We’ll see.’

Danny’s eyes narrowed at his retreating back.  _What did that mean?_

‘You alright, Danny?’

‘Yeah.’ Danny lifted her helmet under her arm and flashed a smile at her sisters. ‘Just Kirsch proving yet again he does an incredible impression of bantha dung.’

‘Do you think he meant anything by that threat?’ asked a younger sister. Ra’sha, the Twi’lek from before, reached a blue arm around their sister’s shoulder.

Danny smiled. ‘Nah, it’s nothing to worry about.’

Her eyes, however, connected with Ra’sha’s.  _But it wouldn’t hurt to tighten security around the base a bit_.

*             *             *

LaFontaine had been waiting by the holoprojector for almost an hour. They knew time ran slightly different on Coruscant than it did on Silas – their orbits were slightly out of sync, meaning at any given time they could either be a few minutes behind or a few hours.

They tried to keep themselves busy with whatever project they were working on – which just happened to be three different projects at the one time. Their personal project, a study into midi-chlorians, was strewn over the counter in the corner of their lab. Their most important assignment, a time-sensitive consult requested by the Jedi Council, was what LaF was  _trying_ to focus on – but it was hard when their eyes kept flicking towards the holoprojector in front of them.

Once the clock on the wall beeped ten, the holo rang and LaF dove towards it.

‘Perr! Finally!’

‘Hey, sweetie.’

LaF beamed at the flickering blue shape in front of them. The hologram barely did Senator Lola Perry justice, rendering her all one colour, but if LaFontaine concentrated, they could see her beautiful light eyes and the gentle colour of her curls.

As happy as they were to see her, LaF couldn’t help the longing ache that made them want to bring their arms around her in a tight embrace. They had been apart for too long.

‘You weren’t standing by the projector the entire time, were you?’

LaF smiled bashfully, flicking their head to get their fringe out of their eyes. ‘Well … maybe.’

Perry shook her head, but she too grinned. ‘Well, I can’t blame you. I was stuck in a conference all afternoon and I could barely concentrate myself.’ A pause. ‘I miss you, weirdo.’

LaF’s smile grew bigger, as if that was even possible – as did the warm feeling in their chest. ‘Dork.’

Perry frowned slightly. ‘Is – is that  _another_ cut on your face?’

‘Wha -? Oh … uh, yeah. Yeah, something escaped from the lower labs. Took a while to get it back under control.’

Perry shook her head. ‘Oh, Susan –’

The jolt was like a cold shock of water, almost freezing out the warmth. ‘LaFontaine, you mean, right?’

‘Oh. Yes. I’m sorry, LaFontaine.’

She wasn’t even in the room but LaF could still feel the awkwardness. LaF shrugged. ‘S’okay. Been a while since we last spoke, y’know?’

Perry’s face fell, only for a moment, before she composed herself. Perry sat up straighter, squaring her shoulders. ‘No, no, it’s – it’s no excuse.’

Force, they were fond of this girl. ‘Perr, you’ve got your Senator face on. Relax.’

‘Right. Yes.’ Perry visibly slumped, and LaF couldn’t stop the bark of laughter that escaped them. ‘Oh, shush.’

LaFontaine grinned when they realised Perry, formidable Senator Lola Perry, was pouting.

‘It’s been a tough few months,’ Perry added. ‘Coruscant is fun and all – well, despite the ridiculous Senators who don’t know the back of a legal datapad from the front – but I can’t wait to come home.’

 _And be with you,_ Perry wanted to add, more than anything. But she kept silent.

‘I can’t wait for you to come home either. Which will be …?’

‘In a few days or so.’

LaFontaine’s hand jerked, knocking over a beaker of bacta solution. ‘A few days?’

The broad smile on Perry’s face suggested to LaFontaine that she had been waiting to drop that bomb since the beginning the call started. ‘A few days,’ she confirmed.

‘Guess I’d better clean up then, huh?’

Perry laughed. ‘And deny me the pleasure? Never.’

‘See, that’s why we work so well together.’

They beamed at each other for a moment. LaFontaine couldn’t help but wonder if they reached out far enough, whether or not their hologram would be able to touch Perry.

‘I dunno if I’m going to be able to wait that long, Perr.’

‘Unfortunately, you’re going to have to survive without my – how did you put it? Control freak tendencies? – for another few days. I’ve got a couple of things to wrap up here before I leave. But believe me, I’m trying to get them done as quickly as possible.’

LaFontaine was spared from replying as Perry’s head suddenly jolted up, her attentions on whatever had come into her office. They stayed silent, as Perry exchanged a few words.

‘I’m sorry, sweetie, but I’ll have to go.’

LaFontaine nodded heavily. ‘It’s cool. Go do your Senator thing.’

There was a subtle, almost not-there, pause. ‘Alright. See you soon. Love you.’

‘Love you too.’

Both managed to say it casually, flippantly.

Both meant it with all their heart.

Both didn’t think the other would understand just how much.

*             *             *

Will Eisen was fuming.

No, he wasn’t fuming. He shouldn’t be fuming. Jedi didn’t fume.

_Like it matters anyway. I’m never going to be a Jedi, am I?_

He was a drop-out. A failure. A run-away. Once the Council had informed him that no one was going to take him for their apprentice and that he was expected in a meeting with the Council of Reassignment to decide which branch of Jedi Service Corps he was going to be shipped off to, Will realised he wanted nothing to do with that place.

Not with the Temple, not with the Jedi. Nothing.

And he had told them as much, in the training rooms were Master Morgan had sought him out. A fair few Padawans and Knights had overheard his outburst, but, as Will stormed out of the training rooms, he found he didn’t care.

So, he had taken all of his possessions – which, being a Jedi, was little more than the lightsaber he had taken from the training rooms and a spare cloak – and snuck out of the Temple. An hour later saw him wandering the borders between the Silas Underground and the Entertainment District, struggling to hold onto his temper. He wasn’t even sure why he was bothering.

‘Hey, kid, aren’t you a little too young to be here?’

The rough voice belonged to a Duros, resting on a wall in the shadows. Will glared at him.

‘I’m fifteen.’

The Duros grinned and leaned forward. The light threw sharp shadows onto his face, turning his grin into a red-eyed leer. ‘Ya think that means anything to me, kid?’

‘Don’t come any closer.’

‘Or what?’

Will’s stolen lightsaber was in his hands in the blink of an eye. The green blade ignited from the hilt, and Will hoped he looked impressive as he held it up to his face with all the experience of a Master-less Initiate.

The Duros chuckled. ‘Nice little blade you got there. You know how many credits I could get for that in the black market?’

‘You’ll have to get it from me first,’ Will growled. ‘I suggest you don’t try. I’ve had a really bad day and I’m not in the mood for games.’

‘Good,’ the Duros said dangerously, slipping a blaster out from his holster. He glanced around; the walkway around them was clear. ‘Neither am I.’

Will shifted into a defensive form, ready to deflect blaster bolts, but both opponents were distracted by a cheery, ‘Hey, hey, hey!’

‘If you don’t mind,’ the Duros rasped, ‘we’re in the middle of business here.’

‘Odd way of putting it.’ The stranger was a young adult human, with short-cut hair and dressed in a heavy padded suit with a logo on it that Will recognised as belonging to one of the swoop gangs. He sighed.  _My day just keeps getting better_.

The Duros glanced at the stranger for the first time, and he too noticed the logo. The Duros hesitated, and the stranger, confident and aware of the power he wielded, crossed his arms.

‘Now, it seems to me,’ the stranger said, ‘that you are harassing this young man over here.’

‘Harassing?’ The Duros snorted. ‘The day we  _scum_ ,’ he spat the word mockingly, ‘harass the Jedi will be the day the bright centre of the universe gets sucked into a black hole.’

Will jumped, startled, when he felt a hand fall onto his shoulder. Confused, he looked up at the stranger, who was still smiling pleasantly at the blaster-wielding alien.

‘I think it would be better for all of us if you step away from this.’

If the Duros had eyebrows, he would have narrowed them. ‘I want that lightsaber.’

‘Do you want to give it to him?’ the stranger asked Will.

‘No!’

‘Sorry, bud,’ the stranger said to the Duros, without sounding apologetic at all. ‘Looks like you’re out of luck.’

Will was ready for the Duros’ reaction, but somehow the stranger moved faster than he did. Even as the Duros lifted his blaster to aim, the stranger had slipped out his own and shot, lodging a bolt right in the middle of the Duros’ chest.

‘Tsk,’ the stranger tutted, twirling his blaster with a flourish before sliding it back in the holster. He muttered, ‘Clean up in the Entertainment District,’ into his comlink, before flashing a toothy grin at Will.

‘Hey there. I’m Kirsch.’

Will eyed Kirsch for a moment. He sensed it was safe to deactivate his lightsaber. ‘Will. You’re from the Zeta gang.’

‘And you’re a young kid running around with a stolen lightsaber.’

‘It’s not stolen!’ Will retorted defensively. ‘Okay, well maybe it is. But I’m a Jedi! At least … I could have been.’

‘What happened?’

Will shrugged. ‘I ran away.’

Technically it wasn’t a lie – but it was not the whole truth. He was too ashamed to tell the whole truth.

_Jedi don’t feel shame._

‘I wasn’t aware you could run away from the Jedi.’

‘Well, you can’t. Technically.’

‘You did.’

Will shrugged again. Kirsch gazed at the young boy for a moment.

‘Come on, Will. We’ve got nice beds back at the Zeta base. Maybe you could stay a while. I reckon you could help us.’

Will hesitated – was Kirsch offering him, a Jedi –  _ex-Jedi_ , he harshly reminded himself – a place in a swoop gang?

‘C’mon, bro, it’s gotta be better wandering the Entertainment District all night.’

Where else could he go? The Jedi Temple was the only home he had known for most of his life. Now, he belonged nowhere.

_Failure. Unwanted._

Unwanted by the Jedi, perhaps. Who needs the Jedi, anyway?

_He did._

The Jedi had no clue, Will realised. They sat in the lofty towers of their temple, preaching about peace and justice, when down below in the real world, the swoop gangs ruled with their own codes. If he was to make a living for himself on Silas – there’s no way he would be able to make it off-world – he had a better chance of survival under the protection of one of the gangs.

And hey, despite all the Jedi warnings about the dangers of the swoop gangs, Kirsch didn’t seem too bad. And hadn’t he just saved Will’s life?

Will pulled one side of his mouth up into a shy smile. ‘Alright.’

‘Great!' Kirsch threw his arm around the young Jedi's shoulders. 'You’ll love it. We’re having a party tomorrow night, but before that, we’ll have to induct you into the Zetas. Which means we’ll have to talk business. How much do you know about the Summer Society …?’


	2. Chapter 2

The only thing Laura remembered of her farewell to her father was the salty taste of the tears on his scruffy cheek – they had been there, seemingly permanently, since two weeks previous – and a gruff, muttered, ‘I love you’ in her ear. Laura’s mother’s death had been hard on them both; Laura’s father had retreated into their farming compound on Corellia, not working or going out at all, and kept Laura by his side at all times.

Her mother had been a high-ranking member of CorSec, the security force on Corellia. The day she died was like any other day – a routine inspection, just to check out some tip-offs about a suspicious mining facility in a nearby mountain range. They had gotten more than they had bargained for; the power was cut, and in the confusion of darkness and blaster fire, Laura’s mother had been shot. They still didn’t know who actually fired the shot that killed her.

Laura had just turned three. First she had lost her mother, then her father when the Jedi had taken her.

Well,  _taken her_  wasn’t exactly the right phrase. Laura did choose to leave, she remembered, though it had taken a bit of persuading and she felt guilty for months afterwards. But not once had Laura ever regretted her choice. Joining the Jedi was a chance to do good in the galaxy, help people – which is all Laura had ever wanted to do.

_Maybe sometime I could go back and visit._

Part of her wasn’t sure if she wanted to – part of her wasn’t sure if she would like what she found.

Laura stared in the mirror of the refresher, still slightly steamed up from her shower. It would take a while for her to get used to the lack of a Padawan braid, but its absence couldn’t help but make her feel like she was floating in a zero gravity chamber. She was a proper Jedi now.

‘Laura?’

The doors to the ‘fresher slid open automatically as Laura wandered out, clipping her belt around her waist. ‘Master?’

‘Ah, there you are.’ Narisa was wide awake; she was an early riser, not needing as much sleep as other species. Thankfully she was sensitive to Laura’s sleeping needs and hadn’t forced Laura to take her habits. ‘Just because you’re no longer my apprentice doesn’t mean you get to skip out on training. Come on!’

Laura only pretended to groan.

While Laura was more than proficient in her chosen lightsaber form, Laura’s true skill was in the investigation and conflict resolution. She  _thrived_ in it, enthusiastically listening to whatever issue they had been chosen to take care of and eagerly setting out to determine the course of events. She had an odd knack for seeing connections that others didn’t, not even Narisa.

Laura followed Narisa into the training room connected to their living quarters. It was small – not meant for dramatic duels, but a good place to practise close-quarter techniques.

‘I haven’t had anything to eat,’ Laura warned her.

‘Oh dear,’ Narisa teased, activating her blue lightsaber. ‘Well I’ll have to be extra careful then, won’t I?’

‘Yes.’ Laura grinned as green light flared.

They barely stepped forward when there was a soft cough at the doorway. They turned to see Darin Whyte, a human Jedi Master on the Council. He was handsome as human males go, with short dark hair, bright blue eyes and a gentle smile.

‘Sorry to interrupt, but the Council is about to convene and we request Laura’s presence.’

‘Oh!’ Laura deactivated her lightsaber and straightened. ‘What for?’

‘You’re not in trouble.’ Darin laughed. ‘We have an assignment for you.’

‘Already?’ Laura looked at Narisa, startled. ‘Are – are you sure …?’

‘We wouldn’t be asking you if we weren’t,’ Darin said. He stepped out to the hallway to wait.

Laura’s head was buzzing. Her first solo mission, only a day after she had been Knighted. She thought she would get an adjustment period; maybe stroll around the Temple a bit, take some Initiate classes, go on a trip to explore the galaxy a little before she did any formal missions.

‘You’ll be fine,’ Narisa said encouragingly, prodding her. ‘Go. We can train when you get back.’

 

‘It has come to our attention that the situation in the Underground – the rivalry between the swoop gangs – is getting worse. Just last night, there was another illegal race, and while policing those races is not our responsibility, I do believe Silas Security are not … shall we say, equipped to be able to reduce tensions between the Summer Society and the Zeta Omega Mu.’

The sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the Council chambers. It was only early, but Laura could already feel the warmth.

‘Therefore,’ Lilita Morgan continued, ‘we would ask you, Laura, to go down, speak with the leaders and help them … come to terms.’

Laura stared at her.

‘Is there a problem, Knight Hollis?’ Lilita asked, sounding somewhat amused.

‘You do realise that their rivalry has been going for … what, centuries?’

‘We never said it would be easy,’ Darin spoke up. He was sitting comfortably on Lilita’s right hand side. ‘But we have faith in you.’

_I’d need more than faith,_ Laura thought, but she said nothing as she bowed and left the Council chambers.

Lilita exchanged smiles with the Jedi to her left.

‘She doesn’t appear to have much confidence in herself,’ Darin mused, brushing a thoughtful hand across his jaw. ‘To be fair, it will be a hard task. There is much bad blood between the two gangs – almost too much.’

‘Laura is stronger than she thinks,’ Lilita said. ‘She will come to realise – in time.’

 

It took two days to gather what Laura needed to get into the Summer Society base. As the moons rose in the sky far, far above Laura’s head, she tucked her lightsaber inside her guard’s uniform before securely strapping a blaster to her hip. Laura studied her reflection as she took a deep breath and stepped into Summer Society territory.

Laura didn’t know what she was expecting – alarms to blare as soon as she stepped over the invisible line? Either way, she wasn’t attracting attention as she moved through the caverns of the Silas underground, for which Laura was grateful.

‘Hey. Hey, you!’

Laura fumbled a little as the harsh voice called out, but she continued on. It wasn’t until the heavy hand fell on her shoulder that she realised the voice was talking to her.

The snarling alien – drunk by the smell of their breath and their proximity to the nearest cantina – shoved their snout into her face. ‘You lot owe me money!’

‘I – I don’t –’

‘Don’t play dumb with me, SumSoc!’

‘I’ll – I’ll let them know –’

‘Or I can just get it from you now!’

Laura’s hand was on her blaster before she realised it. The alien roared with pain as they clutched their thigh, and fell to the ground, and Laura sped off without another look back. She rounded a corner, almost bouncing off someone else, and she readied herself for another fight.

‘Whoa, hey, hey!’

It was a Summer Society sister, looking down at her with concern. ‘What’s happened?’

Laura made vague gestures behind her. ‘Someone asking for money,’ she managed to get out in between gasps.

‘Another one?’ The sister looked into the distance over Laura’s shoulder, a grim expression passing over her face. ‘You should probably let Danny know.’

‘Yes – good idea.’ Laura patted herself down, but paused. ‘Blast! I think the alien stole my passcard to the base.’

The SumSoc sister’s eyes widened. ‘Here, take mine – I’ll go chase them down before they can get too far.’

‘Thanks.’

The pair of them ran off in different directions, and Laura allowed herself a grin as she slipped inside the base, hoping she would be able to blend in before the sister realised the alien hadn’t stolen anything at all.

It took Laura some time to find Danny’s office, but once she did, it was empty. Laura was surprised to see it unlocked and without any sort of protection at all; a testament to the trust between the sisters of the Summer Society.

Laura stood in the middle of the office, wondering what her next move should be. If she was to be honest, Laura hadn’t really thought it through. She was never one to make plans, a trait rubbed off on her from her spontaneous Master. All she needed was a goal in mind, and the course of events would set itself.

(Perhaps she was a little  _too_ trusting in the will of the Force, but it hadn’t failed her yet.)

‘Aren’t you a little short for a guard?’

Laura spun. A tall, humanoid woman with long red hair – who, Laura noted, was really quite pretty –was grinning at her from the doorway. ‘I didn’t realise there were height requirements.’

Danny Lawrence laughed and moved inside. The door slid shut behind her with a bang. ‘I don’t know you,’ Danny said, sitting down at her desk. ‘Not everyone in the Summer Society knows each other, but I make it a point to get to know as many people as possible. Especially my guards.’

‘The mark of a good leader,’ Laura observed.

Danny shrugged. ‘I try. I assume you know who I am.’

‘This is your office, isn’t it?’

‘Yep.’ Danny swung her legs up on the desk. ‘So … why are you here?’

Laura saw Danny’s casual stature, but she could feel the SumSoc leader’s tension like a fist around her spine. Danny was ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice if she got any indication that Laura was a threat. But she wouldn’t make the first move.

‘My name is Laura Hollis. I’m a Jedi.’

‘Oh dear. We’ve attracted Jedi attention? We must have done something serious. Look, if it’s about the swoop races –’

‘It’s not,’ Laura said quickly. ‘Though if you could maybe slow those down a little …?’

Danny snorted. ‘Not gonna happen.’

Laura grimaced. It was a long-shot. ‘They  _are_ illegal, you know.’

‘And possibly the only illegal thing we actually do here. It may shock the Council to know that the Summer Society isn’t the fearsome gang that they make us out to be.’

The Council that Danny referred to was not the Jedi Council, but the Council of Eight that made up the Silas government. Senator Perry, as the planet’s representation on the galactic stage, was technically the leader of the Council – and therefore, more or less, the ruler of Silas – though the Council of Eight insisted that any decisions made were done unanimously.

‘We don’t traffic drugs, we hardly gamble – though those that do are free to do as they wish, but we look after our own. The other gangs may fight but we do not –’

‘Except with the Zeta Omega Mu.’

‘Aaah. So that’s why you’re here.’

Laura paused, then took the seat in front of Danny. ‘Look, what would you say if I asked you to just … chill out with the Zetas?’

Danny raised her eyebrows. Laura sighed.

‘You can’t deny your rivalry with the brothers is getting worse. Quite frankly, it’s getting dangerous. The Council of Eight haven’t formally requested the Jedi to do anything – which may make my presence here a little …’

‘Troublesome?’ Danny suggested wryly. Laura grimaced again.

‘You could say that. But considering SilasSec can barely control the Underground in the first place …’

‘So the Jedi thought they’d poke their nose in where it doesn’t belong.’

‘Hey!’

‘Master Hollis …’ Danny sighed. ‘I know you mean well. But some roots go too deep. This rivalry has been going on for so long that no one even really remembers how it began.’

‘And doesn’t that seem stupid to you?’

Danny shrugged. ‘It doesn’t have to seem like anything. It’s just the way it is.’

‘And you’re really going to just accept that?’ Laura frowned. ‘Even if your sisters’ lives are in danger because of it?’

Danny looked away. ‘We can handle the brothers.’

‘Well, I’m not going to accept it.’ Laura stood. ‘You  _will_ come to a truce. Even if I have to force you and Brody Kirsch into the same room and not let you out until you have come to an agreement.’

‘We’d probably kill each other.’

But Danny couldn’t help but be blown away by the tiny determined Jedi in her guard uniform that was slightly too big for her. There was something about her fierceness that Danny admired.  _She would make a good sister, I think._  She cleared her throat.

‘Alright, here’s a deal – if you can get Kirsch to agree to meet me – just me and him, and you – I’ll see what I can do. I’m not promising that any truces will happen but …’ Danny bit her lip. ‘You might be right. The brothers are getting more aggressive and I wouldn’t admit it to the others, but I’m worried. We’ve managed to avoid major conflict so far, but the scuffles here and there have left my girls a little worse for wear. If it goes into a full-scale war ... I said we could handle them, and we can. But I don’t want to lose anyone.’

Laura nodded, satisfied. ‘Good. Thank you.’

‘Good luck sneaking into the Zeta base though.’

Danny’s eyes were twinkling. Laura huffed.

‘Oh! I almost forgot. I got side-tracked by someone outside, claiming that you lot owe them money. A sister ran after him, so she’ll probably let you know more details.’

Danny groaned and slumped back in her chair. ‘Another one. Great.’

‘Is there … anything I could help with?’

Danny stood, ushering Laura out. ‘I think you’ve done quite enough for one night, Jedi. Oh, here – take this. You’ll be able to bypass the security interference and contact me here. Let me know what happens with Kirsch, okay? That way you won’t have to sneak in next time.’

‘Oh – okay.’

‘Bye.’

The door slammed shut. Laura looked down at the comlink in her hand, her mind swirling with the memory of Danny’s parting smile.

_Get a grip, Hollis. You have a job to do; you can’t get all stupid over pretty girls._

Laura shook her head and moved out.

*             *             *

The labs were the same as Senator Perry had left them: in a perpetual state of messiness. The droids and assistant technicians tried their best to keep everything in order, but LaFontaine seemed to delight in chaos and disorder, resulting in test tubes and measuring equipment and all sorts of other things Perry didn’t recognise strewn all over the tables and counters. LaFontaine had assured Perry multiple times that there was a method to their madness, but even so …

‘This is … a laboratory?’

The quiet, demure voice beside her belonged to her new aide, joining Senator Perry for an internship. Perry smiled at Ell.

‘A bit unorthodox, but that’s like most things on Silas, you’ll soon find out.’

(Despite Senator Perry’s constant attempts to keep the planet in line with others in the Mid Rim and the Core Worlds, Silas seemed to have a mind of its own and resisted valiantly.)

A clutter of glass sounded from the back and Perry looked up, expecting to see LaFontaine stumbling out, but her smile became fixed from confusion as she saw the silver protocol droid making its jerky way towards them.

‘Greetings.’ The protocol droid bowed, and Perry frowned slightly. She didn’t recognise this droid. ‘I am JP-314, at your service.’

‘Hello,’ Ell said politely.

‘JP? JP! Where’s the blasted thing – oh, crap.’

Another clatter of glass, and LaFontaine hopped their way into their main lab. ‘Oh, there you a-are – Perry! You weren’t supposed to be getting back until tomorrow!’

‘Surprise!’ Perry spread her arms out.

‘You called?’ The protocol droid JP asked LaFontaine pleasantly. ‘I was simply greeting our new guests.’

‘Yeah, I can see that. JP, meet Senator Perry – and … ahh …’

‘Oh, I’m Ell.’ Ell stepped forward, extending a hand to LaFontaine. ‘I’m working under Senator Perry for a while.’

‘Nice to meet you.’

‘Senator Perry?’ JP sounded as embarrassed as a protocol droid could sound. ‘Oh, I do beg your pardon. I would have shown you in directly had I realised –’

‘Relax, JP,’ LaFontaine said with a grin, resting a hand on the droid’s shoulder.

‘Where did you find this one?’ Perry asked.

‘Down in the lower labs. Cute, huh?’

‘Cute?’ JP muttered, almost affronted.

‘Just took a little bit of fixing up and – ta da!’

Ell’s eyes flickered back and forth between Perry and LaFontaine, who stood grinning at each other. She knew when she was intruding.

‘Senator? I think I might head out …’

‘Oh, sure. I’ll see you back at the apartments.’

‘Bye!’ LaFontaine waved cheerfully.

‘Unfortunately, I can’t stay for long either,’ Perry said regretfully, as the doors to the labs closed smoothly behind Ell. ‘I should have reported to the Council of Eight as soon as I touched down.’

‘Perr, it’s almost 9 o’clock at night.’

‘Politics doesn’t sleep, LaFontaine.’

‘Can’t you at least stay for some jawa juice?’

Perry bit her lip, her eyes straying towards the door, but –

‘Oh, alright. But only one cup, got it?’

‘Got it.’ LaFontaine grinned widely as they led Perry through the labs. ‘After all, we both know what you get like when you’ve had one too many. We don’t want to send you to the Council of Eight humming the Mon Calamari’s latest opera.’

*             *             *

Swift steps on shiny durasteel floors was all that preceded Carmilla’s arrival into the hangar bay. Sparks flew from every corner of the open room as engineers worked on various transports. There was barely room to move – every available spot was taken up by speeders, starfighters, cruisers, or even – in a few cases – a star destroyer.

It looked like a fleet fit for an army.

‘Leaving the base, Countess Karnstein?’

Carmilla smiled briefly before turning around. After the death of her parents – their murder, more like – she had technically inherited the title and lands.  _Technically,_ rather than  _formally_ , as she was still a wanted criminal and all.

Still, she liked hearing it.

‘Yes. Nothing too serious; a small, short-range fighter will be enough.’ All she really needed was a speeder, but Carmilla didn't want to risk getting caught off-guard if she happened to get in trouble.

‘Might I recommend this model?’ The engineer led her over to a red starfighter by the far wall. ‘It’s an X-307 – a bit old, but recently restored and upgraded with a more streamlined –’

‘I’ll take it,’ Carmilla interrupted. She didn’t care about the specifications.

‘Very well, milady.’ The engineer retreated with a reverent bow.

As Carmilla fitted her robe inside the cockipit, the lights on the landing strip ahead flickered, signalling to the person up the front to lift the shields.

To anyone watching outside, it would have looked like the mountain had opened up. The base that housed the Legion of the Light, or the Lophiiformes, was hidden within the mountains on the other side of the forest that separated the city from the countryside, extended over a series of sprawling caverns and hallways and protected by various shields and holograms.

Carmilla flew low to the ground, keeping to the outskirts. She knew of an entrance that led directly to the Silas underground, which was safer than going through the city. She was risking enough by even going there, but people tended to not look at others twice down in the Underground, and as long as SilasSec didn’t conduct a random patrol, she would (hopefully) pass through undetected.

Once Carmilla was around other people, she lifted her hood. Ominous figures such as herself were hardly uncommon in the Underground; she saw at least five other lifeforms, hooded and cloaked, moving through the tunnels. She wasn’t afraid of standing out.

Sure, Carmilla had been given a mission – a new Force sensitive girl to track down and make friends with – and sure, Carmilla would obey her Master unquestionably. But a streak of rebelliousness ran in Carmilla, and she liked to do things in her own time. Which meant Carmilla was not searching for the girl, but heading towards her favourite cantina for a cup of Rancor Blood – which was honestly a lot nicer than it sounded.

She was sitting by herself in a booth on the side, observing life, when she felt the surge in the Force. Carmilla’s cheeks tingled; she had to resist her Anzat instinct and restrain from extending her probes. Her eyes darted around, never spending more than a second on each patron yet somehow retaining little snippets of information, like how one lifeform had their cloak fastened beneath their left ear and how another had a finger missing on their right hand.  _What was the source of the disturbance?_

Then she saw her.

There was no mistaking the gentle brown curls and the youthful face. It matched the one on the profile Carmilla was given earlier that night. She was an off-worlder, which no doubt explained why she was down here – no one important ever came down here for fear they’d be kidnapped or murdered.

_Ell._

The Force was truly with her tonight.

Carmilla downed the contents of her cup and left it on her table, her eyes never leaving the young Senatorial aide as she moved to the bar. She was close enough just to hear Ell ask for a kibshae, and the young woman glanced around a little uncertainly as Carmilla took the spot next to her.

Ell glanced over at Carmilla – who now had her hood down – and gave her a hesitant smile.

Carmilla threw credits on the bar for another Rancor Blood and turned to face Ell, leaning on her elbow.

‘You look far too innocent for a place like this.’

‘Well, I must admit this wouldn’t usually be my first stop, but I got lost.’ Ell’s voice was oddly confident, and Carmilla immediately felt as though she had underestimated her. ‘So I thought I’d come here and get a drink before asking for directions.’

‘Oh, I wouldn’t do that.’ Carmilla brushed her hand against her cup idly. ‘Half the lifeforms here would lead you astray for their own benefit.’

‘Would you?’

There was a clever look in Ell’s eyes. Carmilla grinned.

‘Probably.’

‘Well, I guess I should stay away from you then.’

‘Yes, you should.’

And yet Ell didn’t move, except to take a sip of her drink. Carmilla didn’t move either.

The patrons moved around them, jostling, yelling – in one case, fighting over a sabacc game in the corner – oblivious to their interaction. Carmilla was almost completely ignorant of them as well; her focus was on the young, strikingly pretty woman staring at the gambling screens above them.

Carmilla leant close. At this distance, it was all too easy for her heightened senses to pick up Ell’s perfume; the scent caught somewhere in her chest and Carmilla had to stop herself from breathing deeply. ‘So, what  _are_  you doing here?’

‘I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.’

Ell flashed Carmilla a brilliant smile, threw back her drink in one go, and only  _then_ moved away, walking in between the lifeforms with a confidence Carmilla hadn’t spotted before. Carmilla debated on following her – she’d rather her target not get kidnapped before she got a chance to do it – but she decided against it.

The Force told her they’d meet again.

Carmilla would be looking forward to it.


	3. Chapter 3

Two days after meeting with Danny Lawrence, Laura stood in front of the heavy metal door to the Zeta Omega Mu base, staring. She had meditated for almost a day and a half, attempting to figure out the best course of action. She had consulted with Master Narisa, who told her the same thing she always did -  _follow your instincts, for more often than not, they will reveal to you the Will of the Force._

But Laura couldn't even figure out what her instincts were telling her, if they were saying anything at all. All she had was a bad feeling that it would be harder to get the brothers of Zeta Omega Mu to see sense than it did Danny Lawrence.

And so, Laura was faced with her first obstacle. The entrance itself. If she concentrated, she could sense the mechanisms in the thick durasteel, figure out how they worked and unlock the door with the Force in a matter of seconds. Or she could simply activate her lightsaber and hack her way through.

Both options, however, would ensure blaring alarms, a possible capture and would  _definitely_ not endear the Zeta brothers to Laura's cause.

Therefore, Laura - dressed comfortably and openly in her Jedi robes this time - raised a finger, sighed, and pressed the communications button.

'Zeta Omega Mu, state your business,' said a clear, male voice pleasantly.

Laura blinked. 'I'm Laura Hollis, a Jedi Knight.' She still got a bit of a buzz by saying that.  _Knight,_ rather than  _Padawan_. Made her feel all responsible and grown-up like. 'I request an audience with Brody Kirsch.'

'Have you made an appointment?'

'I - what? No, I haven't -'

'Then, I'm afraid His Eminence will be unable to see you today. Have a nice day.'

The comms went dead, leaving a blustering and bewildered Laura to sputter indignantly at the wall. She pressed the button again.

'Now, you listen to me,' Laura said, 'I am here on Jedi business, got it? If I say that I want an audience with Brody Kirsch then I will get an audience with Brody - oh.'

The door hissed open. A tall man dressed in heavy armour stood inside, grinning at Laura.

'Hey, hottie. You called?'

'Um, excuse me?'

Brody Kirsch made no indication that Laura's scathing words had affected him at all. 'You wanted to see me, right? Hey, Grant!' he yelled back, 'you didn't say you called in dancers! Thanks, bro!'

For a moment, Laura was stunned speechless - but only for a moment. ' _Dancer?_ I'm not - how dare - I'm a Jedi Knight, thank you very much! I mean, not that being a dancer is at all a disreputable career - ignoring that most dancers throughout the galaxy these days are slaves,  _despite_ the Republic's anti-slavery laws, and are treated  _horribly_ with barely a wage and  _disgusting_ living conditions -'

'Alright, alright.' Kirsch sighed. Even he could tell that Laura wasn't going to be stopped without help. 'Well, hottie, after you.'

He stepped aside to let Laura in, who gave Kirsch a very un-Jedi-like, narrowed-eyed glare.

'Enough with the "hottie". It's Master Hollis, to you.'

Kirsch smirked. 'Very well, your Masterfulness.'

'Ugh.'

'Are all Jedi as pushy as you?'

'Nope. I'm one in a million.'

'Oh, I'll bet.'

' _Ugh._ '

 

'So, your royal Jediness, how may I help you this fine evening?'

 _Patience, Laura. Breathe_.  _Remember your exercises._ She'd travelled from one end of the galaxy to another, seen a lot of dirty scumbags and sleazy pirates, but she couldn't think of one she had met that was as infuriatingly annoying as Brody Kirsch. Laura had a short temper at the best of times, and even with her Jedi training, Kirsch was pushing her to her limit.

Kirsch had lead Laura through the Zeta base through what Laura seriously suspected was the most open way possible. Numerous ZOM brothers had stopped whatever they were doing to stare at Laura - resulting in one even dropping a hydrospanner on his foot, which made Laura wonder if they had ever seen the world outside the Zeta base at all. No one called out, much to Laura's relief; possibly they had seen how Laura had walked with her cloak open, the lightsaber on her hip deliberately on show, and got the message.

Laura much preferred it with Danny and her sisters.

By the time they had reached Kirsch's quarters, Laura had become a little vibrating ball of intensity. She had almost exploded at the sight of Kirch's bed -  _he took me to his living quarters???_ \- but before she could, Kirsch had shown her over to a desk on the side that Laura had nearly missed.

Laura decided to let the unprofessional nature of how Kirsch conducted his business slide. 'I'm here with a proposition.'

'And what would a revered Jedi Master such as yourself want with a lowly gang member? I hope I'm not in trouble.'

'That depends,' Laura said, wryly. 'No, I've come here to request that you get over centuries of pointless and useless bickering and finally come to a truce with the Summer Society sisters.'

Laura used the time that it took for Kirsch to stop laughing to siphon away her annoyance: an impressive feat.

'A truce.' Kirsch wiped away tears. 'That's a good one.'

'I've talked to Danny Lawrence, and she's agreed to discuss it if you do.'

That made Kirsch pause. 'She did, did she?' Kirsch leant back in his chair. 'Huh.'

'Just you and her. And me, obviously. So you two don't kill each other if something goes wrong.'

Kirsch gazed at Laura for a moment, resting a hand against his jaw, looking unusually sober. There was something whirring in Kirsch's mind, a slight calculating glint to his blue eyes that made Laura wonder. But Kirsch was unusually good at clearing his mind and blocking his emotions, especially for someone who hadn't had training.

Or had he?

'Very well,' Kirsch said finally. 'I'll consider it.'

 _Yes!_ Laura was doing fist pumps in her mind. Outwardly, she maintained her calm, Jedi confidence. 'Good. Thank you.'

'And ... if that's all?'

Kirsch stood to show her out, and Laura got up hurriedly.

'Well ... don't you want to organise a time? A place to meet?'

Kirsch shrugged, looking unconcerned. 'I'm sure I'll see Lawrence sometime soon. We'll figure out something then.'

'Oh, but I really think I should be there, just in case -'

'Eh, don't worry about it. We'll let you know.'

 

Laura had to move quickly to keep up with Kirsch's long strides. As they walked back through the base in silence, Laura considered Kirsch's sudden casual demeanour. There was something about it that seemed  _too_ casual. As though he were using it as a mask, hiding something.

She also considered it interesting that they were taking a different route back to the base entrance, this one avoiding many of the main areas as possible.

Laura cast her mind back. Her first trip through the base had been as public as could be. She hadn't noticed then, having been too wrapped up in her own uncomfortableness, but now she remembered details, here and there, that added up to a bigger picture that looked to be incredibly worrying.

_Heavy armour._

_Swoop bikes._

_Anxiety._

_He agreed far too quickly._

Danny Lawrence was working on her swoop bike, adding an upgrade to the thrusters, when her comlink beeped. She groaned - she never liked to be interrupted while she was working - and extracted herself, almost bumping her head on the underside as she did. She wiped stray strands of hair out of her face, accidentally getting bike grease on her forehead, before she answered.

'Lawrence.'

'Danny, is there a swoop race tonight?'

Danny was pleasantly surprised to hear Laura Hollis' voice buzz through the comlink. 'Master Hollis! I hadn't expected to hear from you so quickly. Have you met with the bantha brothers yet?'

'The - sorry, what?'

'The Zetas.'

'Oh, right. I'm just leaving the base now. I'm not sure of the outcome yet. Is there a swoop race on tonight?'

'Is this off the record?'

' _Danny_.'

'Yeah, there is. Final one for this comp. Why?'

'I'll be there.'

The comlink went dead and Danny stared at it for a few moments. There had been something ... urgent and worrying about Laura's abrupt contact, and she wished Laura had elaborated on her sudden desire to watch a swoop race.

Then it hit her.  _Laura was going to be there._

At the thought of Laura Hollis watching her ride, Danny, for the first time since leaving the intergalactic leagues, felt nervous.

 

*             *             *

 

'Here. Casual clothes, as you requested.'

'Thanks, Bets.'

Betty Spielsdorf sat on the edge of one of Laura's meditating pods, frowning as Laura hurried back into her living quarters to get changed. The tall blonde humanoid was Laura's year-mate and they had been friends since they were younglings. Betty had been made a Knight only a few weeks before Laura.

'I still don't understand why you need them. What's so bad about our robes?'

'Undercover mission, Bets!'

'Yeah, you told me  _that_ at least, but undercover  _where_?'

Laura emerged from her rooms dressed in a loose tunic, baggy pants that looked as though they could have belonged to a Wookie - they had that much hair on them - and heavy boots. 'How do I look?'

'Ridiculous,' Betty replied, but fondly. 'You look like you're drowning in material.'

'Great. The less I look like a Jedi, the better.'

'I'd feel a lot better if I knew where you were going.'

Laura threw her best friend an apologetic look. 'I feel like the Council wouldn't approve, that's all.'

'Laura, I'm offended. Since when would I ever tell the Council on you?'

'Yeaaah, I know, but y'know ... if the Council asks you where I am, you wouldn't really be lying if you said that you didn't know, right?'

'So this is for my protection, is it?' Betty looked at Laura oddly. 'Why would the Council ask where you are, anyway?'

Laura shrugged. 'No reason.'

Betty sighed. 'You worry me, Hollis. Anyway, I can't stay long, Master Morgan wants to see me. Hey, did you hear about the kid who ran away?'

'Kid?' Laura replied absent-mindedly as she checked her reflection.

'Yeah, an Initiate. Will something or other.'

'I think I heard a couple of rumours.'

The Force nudged her. Laura paused, wondering, but dismissed it. She had more important things to worry about.

 

*             *             *

Danny couldn't stop glancing around the crowd every five seconds. She stood by her bike near the starting line on the left side of the cavern, the customary SumSoc area. The crowds were as rowdy as usual - perhaps even more so, as more and more people trickled in to watch the final race of the current swoop bike comp.

_Would Laura be able to find her way here?_ Only then, Danny realised she hadn't told Laura where the race actually was.  _Stop fretting. She's a Jedi, she can handle herself._

Even so, she cast another glance over to the entrance to the cavern.

'Danny?'

Danny almost bumped her shin against her bike. 'Laur - Master Hollis! I didn't see you.'

Indeed, Danny had been on the look-out for someone in Jedi robes, not a small figure covered up head to toe in clothes that barely matched.

'Good, good. Means I'm blending in.'

'Well, I wouldn't say ...'

Laura looked around the cavern, barely listening to Danny. 'There are a lot of people here.'

'Hm? Oh, yeah.' Danny straightened and looked around as well. 'Most either support us or the Zetas. There are a couple of smaller gangs here too, but they're pretty chill, most of the time.'

'Mm.'

Laura seemed preoccupied. Her eyes narrowed in the direction of the Zeta brothers, directly opposite the Summer Society. 'They seem to be rather quiet.'

'Yeah. Odd, but ...' Danny shrugged. 'I never really care about whatever the Zetas are doing.'

'I think you should.'

Danny looked down at the Jedi, startled, but before either one could say anything, a voice echoed through the cavern, announcing that the racers make their way to their starting positions.

A roar of cheers went up at their words, so Danny had to lean down to Laura to hear what she wanted to say.

'You're racing, right?'

Danny nodded.

Laura placed her hand on Danny's arm and squeezed it slightly. Danny could barely hear her, but she saw her mouth forming the words, 'Good luck.'

Any thanks got caught in Danny's throat, and her mind went completely blank of everything except for the arm squeeze. Laura's face was so close, her smile so bright in contrast to the dim, artificial lights of the cavern -

_She's a Jedi!_

Before Danny could respond, Laura had slipped away, back through the crowd, leaving Danny slightly dazed.

'Bring it, Summer Psycho!'

Aaaaand Danny was back.

 

It was just a friendly gesture, right? Just a simple wish of good luck for someone who Laura could  _definitely_  notget involved with in any way, shape or form, or even entertain any such thoughts, because  _she was a Jedi!_

Laura couldn't deny she was attracted to the gang leader.  _That's normal_ , she reasoned with herself. It's not as though the Jedi were unfeeling droids. They experienced attraction just like any other lifeform in the galaxy.  _It's just a matter of ... working through it. Dealing with the emotions, releasing them into the Force. Simple._

Only problem was, Laura wasn't sure that she wanted to let them go at all.

But it was the wrong time to dwell on it. She edged closer to the group of hollering Zetas as the racers made their way to the starting line. Now that the race was about to begin and Kirsch was preparing to ride, they had started up their chants - something that sounded oddly like, 'PIZZA OR DEATH!' - but there was an odd stiffness about how they moved that set Laura's alarm bells ringing.

'Quick - place your final bets!'

The gambler shoved the datapad in her face, but Laura quickly waved him aside. The gambler was insistent, however, so Laura added a little Force to her wave.

'You don't want to ask me again.'

'I don't want to ask you again,' the gambler muttered and turned away.

Laura glanced around, hoping that her little trick hadn't given her away, but everyone near her was too focused on the race.

The Zetas had started on another chant, but there was a brother at the back, crouching on the ground as though he had been fiddling with something then had frozen. Laura frowned. There was something about familiar about him. His face was covered by a mask, his eyes by goggles, but Jedi did not need to rely on appearances to recognise someone.

Then Laura remembered - it was the brother who had dropped his hydrospanner when Laura had visited the Zeta base. But that wasn't all - the Force was trying to tell her more  _but the cavern is so damn loud I can barely concentrate - why do I feel a connection towards him?_

The race had begun and Laura hadn't even noticed. Laura barely understood how swoop races worked; she had never been into sports much, even when she was still living with her parents. There weren't any screens to watch the race on; swoop races were usually over in less than a minute, so there was hardly any point.

But Laura figured from the roar from the left that Danny had won. A sense of foreboding washed over Laura.

The Zetas moved into action, and so did Laura. The riders were making their way back to the starting point; Danny had taken off her helmet and thrown it into the crowd. Laura didn't even have time to admire how easily Danny's hair flowed with the wind before Laura tried to sprint through the jostling crowd.

'Get down!' she tried to yell. 'Down!'

Danny, still half on her bike, was surrounded by celebrating Summer Society sisters, two of which Laura pushed out of the way in her attempt to get to Danny. The Force surged around Laura, warning her, telling her, just before blaster fire rang out throughout the cavern.

There wasn't anything for it - Laura leapt, arms outstretched for Danny. She barrelled into Danny, tackling her to the ground. Danny fell hard, her swoop bike landing heavily on her leg, but Laura rolled once and sprang up easily, with her green lightsaber ignited in her hand.

Cries of " _Attack!_ ",  _"Jedi!_ " and " _Run!_ " overwhelmed Laura's shouts of, ' _GO!'_ Laura darted back and forth, deflecting as much blaster fire as she could, but she couldn't stop them all. In the madness and chaos, two Summer Society sisters fell - injured or worse, Laura couldn't tell. Three other civilians fell, caught in the crossfire.

Laura was suddenly aware of Danny beside her, blaster in hand. 'Danny,  _go_!' Laura yelled. 'Take your sisters, and go!'

'And leave you to fight the entire Zeta gang by yourself? Garrda the Hutt's flabby tail, I am!' Danny swore.

The sisters hadn't been expecting a fight, but they were incredibly resourceful. Most kept their blasters on them at all times, in the case of emergencies, and a few had taken possession of abandoned swoop bikes to use for cover. Neither side looked as though they were going to budge.

'I don't  _want_ to fight them, I need to get them to stop, so we can talk - Kirsch!  _KIRSCH, you little -'_

Kirsch stood just in front of his gang, upright and resting the barrel of his blaster on his shoulder. He cast an impressive figure against the smoke and lights, and looked far too smug and triumphant for someone who lost his swoop race. He gave Laura a jaunty, mocking wave, before lowering his blaster to aim.

'Talk?' Danny scoffed loudly. 'If you think we're going to be holding hands and skipping around after this, you're deluded!'

Kirsch shot. He had perfect aim and would have hit Danny clean in the chest, if Laura hadn't been expecting it. With one smooth move, she swiftly slid to the side in front of Danny, and swept her lightsaber up, deflecting the blaster bolt with precise accuracy. Kirsch only had time to widen his eyes in shock before the bolt hit him in his upper chest, just near his right shoulder.

Kirsch fell to the ground, and the battle was quickly wrapped up after that.

'Nice shot, Hollis,' Danny said, impressed. 'We make a pretty good team.'

Laura gritted her teeth. 'I shouldn't have done that,' she admitted. 'It was foolish of me. I -' Laura bit her lip. 'I'll come talk to you later, okay?'

'But what are you - wait, Laura!'

'Go, Danny! You have wounded you need to take care of.'

Danny hesitated, only for a split second, before nodding and turning back to her sisters. Laura strode over to the Zetas.

One brother saw her approach and picked up his blaster. 'You - you killed him!'

Without missing a beat, Laura raised her hand. She called on the Force, and the blaster ripped itself out of the Zeta's hand and into Laura's. She threw it away without another thought.

'He's not dead.'

Laura could feel the hostility towards her rolling off the Zetas in waves, but she took no notice. She ordered a few of the Zetas to move so she could bend down to speak to Kirsch. They weren't happy to do it, but seemed nervous from her Force display, so they did as they were told.

As Laura said, Kirsch wasn't dead. Injured and in terrible pain, yes, but not dead. Kirsch glared up at Laura, his face slightly red and mouth tightly closed against the pain.

'What? Annoyed that you got hurt in your unprovoked attack?' Laura said, far more mockingly than she intended. She was angry - Force, was she angry. She struggled to get a hold on it. 'Weren't expecting anyone to fight back, huh?'

'Damn ... interfering ... Jedi,' Kirsch managed to get out.

'Why? Why did you do this? I asked you to consider a truce, and instead you pull a stunt like this. Why do you hate the Summer Society so much?'

Kirsch said nothing.

'You've probably gotten people killed! Is that what you wanted?'

Laura was almost trembling with fury. She had to leave - and soon, before she did something she would regret. She stood and looked around at the brothers. She could not see nor sense the brother she had spotted before. Laura clenched her jaw, then glanced back at Kirsch dismissively.

'Get him to a medbay,' she said, to no-one in particular, and walked off.

 

*             *             *

 

Danny and Laura sat in Danny's office in the Summer Society base in silence. Danny was nursing a drink, probably something alcoholic, and Laura was staring off into space.

'How's your leg?' Laura asked suddenly.

'It'll be alright. They've applied some bacta; I just have to rest it for a few days.' Danny squirmed. 'It's my back I'm more worried about though. That was a rough landing.'

'You may not have a few days.'

'You think they'll attack again? Kirsch seemed to be pretty badly shot.'

'Flesh wound, mostly.'

Silence fell again.

'How are the sisters?'

'Stable, thank the stars.' Danny sighed. 'One might not be able to use her arm ever again, though.'

Laura didn't reply. Danny didn't know how to deal with the pensieve Jedi in front of her.

'Laura - Master Hollis -'

'Laura is fine.'

Danny nodded. 'Right. Laura. I just wanted to ask ... did you know? That this was going to happen? This was why you wanted to come, wasn't it?'

'I ...' Laura cleared her throat. 'I had a feeling.'

'You Jedi and your feelings. Why didn't you say anything?' Danny was too exhausted and emotionally drained to be angry.

'I wasn't sure. I didn't want to worry you, not before your race. I also thought it may have gotten in the way of truce negotiations.' Laura paused. 'It was wrong of me. I'm sorry.'

'Well ... you saved my life, so ... Just next time, tell me if they're going to attack, alright?'

Laura tried a smile. 'Well, I'm telling you now. I'm fairly certain that they're going to try an outright invasion. I can't exactly give you concrete evidence, but it's just -'

'A feeling. Right.' Danny leant back, and looked around her office. 'You know, sometimes this is still a bit of a shock to me. The previous occupant of these rooms was my mentor. She – as well as the others members of this family – gave me a second chance to do what I loved. To ensure their protection and well-being is only the least I can do in return. And I will do anything to ensure that.'

'But I might not.' Laura sighed. 'I was assigned to arrange a truce between you two. More and more I'm starting to feel this is an impossible task.'

_Only very few things in this universe are impossible, Laura._

Her Master's voice filled her head. More than anything, it gave Laura a sense of comfort.

'From where I sit, it is impossible.'

'Is there nothing that can change your -'

'Nothing.'

Laura sighed again, and stood. 'Well, I'm not going to give up.'

Danny grinned. 'You're pretty hard to dissuade, aren't you, Hollis?'

Laura smiled back - and this time, it was genuine. 'Yeah. Pretty much.'

As Laura made to turn away, Danny called her back with a soft, 'Laura?'

'Yeah?'

'Will you come back?'

Laura paused. 'Maybe.'

*             *             *

 

The first thing Laura wanted to do when she arrived back at the Temple was to take off the ridiculous clothes she was wearing and collapse on her bed, but instead she stopped in the meditation room connected to her living quarters and sat, cross-legged, on a pad.

She closed her eyes. Pieces floated around in her mind, pieces that seemed to be from different puzzles, and Laura searched for a way to connect them.

_Clear your mind. Stop talking. Listen._

Images flashed through her head.

_Swoop bikes._

_Blasters._

_Danny's red hair._

_A mask._

As though the woman herself was standing right next to her, Laura heard Betty say for the second time that night, ' _Hey, did you hear about the kid who ran away -'_

Laura opened her eyes.

The Zeta brother was the runaway Jedi. She had found him.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, the lakes near the Jedi Temple on Silas werecovered in fog and mist. The sun tried desperately to shine, but the cloudswere too grey and thick to let any light through, and the mountains in thedistance were nothing but dark shapes on the horizon. Despite the threat ofrain and storms, the children who lived nearby flocked to the lakes to splash around, and Laura could hear their laughter and cries from the Council chambers.

She had just finished detailing her report on her progress to the Council. Her face expressed no emotion, she gave the facts clearly and calmly, but she wasn't aware of her right hand anxiously fiddling with the folds of her cloak.

Darin Whyte sighed loudly. 'Well, we didn't say it would be easy.'

Lilita Morgan leaned forward. 'Will Eisen - are you sure it's him?'

'Almost positive,' Laura said firmly. 'He seemed aware of me at the swoop race. I had used the Force and I'm certain he sensed it. Why else would he have disappeared afterwards? He was scared of getting caught.'

The holographic depictions of two Jedi Masters to Laura's right exchanged nods.

Lilita straightened. 'Good work, Laura. But you are nowhere near finished yet.'

Laura nodded. 'I know, Master. Is there anything - I mean, would you like me to bring Will in ...?'

'No, no,' Lilita said thoughtfully. 'Leave him to me.'

'I hope you remember that you are not to take sides, Laura,' Darin said. He was looking at Laura evenly, but his eyes conveyed a deeper understanding that made Laura squirm almost guiltily.  _Danny_. 'You are to help them come to an understanding, that is all. After this last altercation, it may be harder than ever -'

' _May_  be harder?' Laura blurted before she could help herself. But Darin smiled.

'- but not impossible. Find some common ground. Appeal to their better natures.'

'I'm not sure Brody Kirsch has a better nature,' Laura grumbled.

'He took Will in, did he not?'

 _So?_ Laura wanted to say, stubborn to the last, but she nodded and bowed. 'Yes, Master.'

'May the Force be with you.'

 

*             *             *

 

A pouting Kirsch was the first thing Sarah Jane saw when she walked into the Silas Medcenter that morning. The second thing she saw was the security droid that was keeping Kirsch seated, arms folded, in the reception area. 'Is ... something the problem?'

Kirsch stood immediately, revealing 6 feet of lean muscle. He winced and Sarah Jane quickly located the source of the pain and, no doubt, the reason he was there: a burn mark on the fabric of his right shoulder that indicated a blaster wound. 'Yeah! This blasted droid wouldn't let me in.'

'Well, it is before hours.' Sarah Jane waved the droid away. 'How  _did_ you get in here, anyway?'

Kirsch grinned, a lopsided smile that was somehow both bashful and cocky. 'Aw, y'know. I'm pretty good with computers and stuff.'

'You broke in. Right.' Sarah Jane walked off, and Kirsch blinked before following.

'I shouldn't have had to break in! Who closes a medcenter?'

'Don't you have your own medbay?'

When Kirsch didn't respond, confused, Sarah Jane shot him a pointed look over his shoulder. 'Zeta Omega Mu, right? I see a couple of you lot around in the cantina I go to. I recognised the emblem on your armour.'

'Oh yeah.' Kirsch grinned again as Sarah Jane led him into a sterile white room, with numerous droids standing deactivated and a large bacta tank in the corner. 'I'm kinda the leader. Brody Kirsch, at your service.'

Sarah Jane dumped her bag on the bed and turned to give Kirsch another loaded stare as he hopped up on the bed. 'Sarah Jane,' she introduced herself. 'And I wouldn't brag about being the leader. I heard about what happened last night.'

Kirsch looked down at his swinging feet. Guilty, why did he feel guilty? 'News travels fast, huh?'

'I have a friend who used to be in the Summer Society, when we were at university.'

'Oh. Disappointing. Is it too late to request a different doctor?'

Sarah Jane made a noise under her breath. 'Well, come on. Take off your shirt.'

Normally, Kirsch would have made some sort of quip, but oddly, he found himself flushing. 'Oh - uh - right.'

'No bacta back at base, huh?' Sarah Jane asked quietly, rustling through a drawer. 'Or saving on supplies?'

'I guess nothing much gets past you.'

'Not much, no.' Sarah Jane smiled as she turned back around with a bacta patch.

Kirsch eyed the doctor as she concentrated on placing the bacta patch over his wound. The sickly-sweet smell of the bacta wafted up and he wrinkled his nose.

_She's pretty._

_She also probably doesn't like me._

_But she's pretty. And smart._

_'_ So how come you got in so early?' Kirsch asked, keeping his voice casual and hoping that she wouldn't be able to hear some of his sudden nervousness.

'I like to be alone here sometimes,' Sarah Jane replied. She straightened; she had finished applying the bacta. 'Set up by myself. It's peaceful. Also, there's a room in the upper levels that gives an amazing view of the sunrise over the mountains.'

Sarah Jane paused, as though unsure why she had told him.

'I'd like to see that,' Kirsch said.

'Uh ... the sun's up, already.'

'I didn't mean  _now_ , but like ... sometime in the future ... maybe ...'

They looked everywhere but at each other.

'Right, um. Well, that's the bacta all done.' Sarah Jane's voice was all business and she still couldn't meet his eyes. 'Keep the patch on for a few hours and rest your shoulder and you should be fine. I'll, um, I'll show you out.'

Kirsch had to rush to keep up with Sarah Jane. 'I haven't paid you - should I pay you -'

'Oh, no, that's fine -'

'- no, no, I should pay you -'  _Just do it, Kirsch, c'mon, man._ 'Tell you what, come out for a drink with me sometime -'

'Oh, that's not necessary -'

'Sarah Jane?'

Another human doctor was standing at the doors, looking at Sarah Jane and Kirsch in confusion.

'Natalie!' Sarah Jane sighed with relief.

'Is this Zeta bothering you?' Natalie asked, shooting Kirsch a suspicious look. Kirsch grinned back in reply, but looked back at Sarah Jane.

'Please?'

Sarah Jane bit her lip. 'I - come back and see me later this week, alright? So I can ... um, check on your shoulder.'

'Yes! I mean - yeah, no worries.' Kirsch was beaming like a fool as he walked backwards towards the exit. Both Sarah Jane and Natalie winced; had the doors not been automatic, the Zeta would have walked right back into the doors. 'See you then.'

Kirsch jogged off, and pumped his (bad) arm into the air - ' _Ow!_ ' - before he turned the corner and out of sight.

Sarah Jane and Natalie stood in the reception.

'He's kind of cute. For a Zeta,' Natalie added.

Sarah Jane rolled her eyes. 'Yeah, a  _Zeta_.'

Natalie shrugged. 'Hey, I'm not with the SumSoc anymore.'

'He's the  _leader_.'

' _That's_ Brody Kirsch?' Natalie looked incredulous. 'No way. He doesn't look like he could take care of himself, let alone a swoop gang. So, you gonna accept the offer of drinks?' she added teasingly.

'I don't know,' Sarah Jane replied, sounding incredibly unconcerned. 'I've got more important things to worry about anyway - like LaFontaine coming in at 10 this morning.'

'Again?' Natalie looked over Sarah Jane's shoulder at the morning's schedule.

'Are you really surprised?'

'No.' Natalie sniggered. 'Ten credits they almost chopped off their arm again.'

'You're on.'

'And speaking of - did you hear that Senator Perry's come back home?'

Sarah Jane smiled as the doors opened and a patient hobbled their way in. Sarah Jane brought up their chart on her datapad and looked back at Natalie. 'See, I'd rather go out for drinks with them than the Zeta. We haven't caught up with those two properly since university.'

'Medicine and politics are busy professions,' Natalie said ruefully as she accepted the datapad from Sarah Jane and moved over to the newcomer.

 

*             *             *

 

Carmilla didn't wake up until midday. She groaned aloud as she rolled over and saw the time. Sleeping late – against her Master’s strict orders, who was far more of a morning person that Carmilla was – was usually one of the first signs she was low on energy. She needed to feed.

Carmilla didn't rush to get up. The Dean would have already left to go to the Jedi Temple, leaving Carmilla in charge. While she always appreciated ordering people around, she didn't really feel like dealing with any lifeforms at that moment.

Wow, she  _really_ needed to feed.

Her mind was on Ell, as it had been since she had bumped into her in the cantina. Carmilla had been thinking about her a lot - almost obsessing, even. Her gentle face was never far from Carmilla's mind - at least in the privacy of her quarters. In a base with so many Force-sensitives, Carmilla had to be careful that her mind was her own when she was around others to avoid needless and annoying questions.

But there was something about Ell that Carmilla hadn't expected - a little something that shifted Carmilla's perception of her completely out of balance and left Carmilla wanting to know more. She reached for her datapad; her fingers traced a familiar pattern over the touchscreen, and Ell's file was up in seconds. There was nothing there that Carmilla didn't already know; it wasn't as though that by staring at the words she knew off by heart, Carmilla would be able to divine the inner workings of Ell's mind.

And yet she let herself stare it for a few moments, before she threw the datapad on the bed and began her morning meditations.

 

_'We are here to serve The Light ... we are here to serve The Light ... we are here to serve The Light ...'_

'Is the chanting necessary?' Carmilla asked, folding her arms. 'It's creepy.'

The Lophiiformes member sitting at the computers looked up at Carmilla. 'Studies have shown that repeating it out loud -'

'They're being brainwashed,' Carmilla pointed out.

The Lophiiformes member shrugged and turned back. 'It's an unfortunate side-effect.'

Carmilla sighed. The Force-sensitives - most were girls, but some were boys, some were neither, and others had genders that couldn't be translated into Basic - were sitting in lines of six with heavy-looking headsets pressing down on their heads, or where eye-stalks or horns made the wearing of helmets awkward, nodes were plastered as near to their brains as they could be.

'There has to be an easier way.' This method was time-consuming and the results were unpredictable - some species showed considerably more resistance to the brainwashing than others, whereas others were more susceptible, and it was impossible to figure out a balance.

'The Dean says she might have an answer soon.'

'Yes, she said as much to me not so long ago,' Carmilla muttered. Carmilla wasn't too impressed with her mother. The Dean had been secretive and dismissive with her during their brief interactions in the past couple of days, and Carmilla wasn't happy about it. As far as Carmilla had been able to tell, the Dean had her own private mission she wanted to take care of that even Carmilla couldn't be let in on. While Carmilla usually wouldn't care - she actually preferred it when the Dean was too preoccupied to lean over her shoulder - there was something about this that made her feel uneasy.

Carmilla left the testing rooms without another word.

 

'Hello, Elsie.'

'Hello, Countess Karnstein.'

Elsie's voice was monotone, reminiscent of a droid, and even though she had been brainwashed almost to the point where there was no Elsie left since their duel weeks ago, there was a flash of fear in her eyes that Carmilla caught.

Only a flash. Carmilla sighed. Even Elsie was no fun anymore.

Carmilla considered heading down to the training rooms to beat a couple of soldiers into shape, but she checked the time. Her wandering around the Lophiiformes base had taken a few hours, but it was still early evening.

_Ell could still be at the Senate building._

That was a bad idea. A  _horrible_ idea. At a complex as heavily guarded as the Senate building, business home of the Council of Eight, there was a much higher risk that she could be recognised. Her twenty year-old crimes had fallen from the memory of most of the public, but she was still on the wanted list. Going there could be a death sentence.

 

And yet Carmilla found herself staring at the turbolifts of the Senate building an hour later.  _Bad idea. Bad, bad idea._ Now that she was faced with the reality rather than a fantasy, she found her courage leaving her, and as one turbolift sped its way to the ground, Carmilla turned around on her heel and hurried away.

Until the doors opened and she heard a voice call out, 'Hey, don't I know you?'

It wasn't the authoritative voice of a guard or a security officer. Carmilla froze and moved her head slightly, ever-so-slightly, so she could peer out of the corner of her eye.

'I do know you!' Ell sounded cheerful enough as she walked up to the still-frozen Carmilla. Carmilla looked at the grinning Ell almost sheepishly. 'Didn't I meet you in the Underground cantina on my first night here?'

'Um. Yeah. You remember me?'

Ell tilted her head to the side curiously as she shifted the bag strap on her shoulder. 'You're following me. Should I be worried?'

'I'm - I'm not following, I just ... I'm just wandering ...'

'So, it's just a coincidence?'

Carmilla blushed, and Ell laughed, a light, musical sound that wrapped its way around Carmilla's heart.

'I'm kidding. Sort of. So, what  _are_ you doing here? You don't seem to me to be the Senate type.'

'I'm not,' Carmilla replied, shrugging. She looked down at the ground. Had her Master been there, the Dean might have been impressed with Carmilla's bashful act. The embarrassing thing was that it wasn't much of an act. 'I was just ... bored. I wanted to go for a walk and I ... found myself here. Coincidence.'

'Doubt it.' Ell was smiling.

'Don't believe in coincidences?'

'Not really.'

'So, what - the Will of the Force?'

'What else?'

Carmilla frowned. 'How much do you know about the Force?'

'More than some, not as much as most, I suspect. It wasn't until I was a teenager that I met a Jedi and they told me I could have been taken in for training had I lived in the worlds closer to the Core. I got interested so I did a little bit of research.' Ell shrugged. 'My politics course took over a week later, but it was a fun hobby. But from what I found out, the Force works in mysterious ways.'

Carmilla meet Ell's cheeky grin with her own. 'Does it? So it has nothing to do with our own choices?'

'Are you telling me you  _chose_ to walk here? Anyway, a philosophy discussion, already? At least buy me a drink first.'

Carmilla's breath caught in her throat. 'Is that ... an offer?'

'Maybe.' Ell turned away a bit, before throwing a "Coming?" look back to Carmilla. 'Just let me dump my stuff first.'

As she walked side-by-side with Ell, Carmilla could have broken out into song.

 _This was an_ horrendous _idea._

'Go here often?' Ell laughed as she stared up at the sign.

A very un-Carmilla-like giggle escaped her mouth, and Carmilla almost choked. 'No.' She stared helplessly up at the flashing sign. 'But I've heard about this place and I thought it was ...'

Ell eyed what was visible of the scantily-clad dancers from the entrance, earning her an unfriendly look from the guard out the front.

'Are you two coming in or what? No loitering.'

Ell hooked her arm around Carmilla's and Carmilla lost track of time. 'Let's go.'

'Wait - what?'

Before Carmilla could say anything, Ell threw a couple of credits to the guard and pulled her inside.

'This is a bad idea,' Carmilla shouted over the music.

Ell pulled on Carmilla's arm, pulling the slightly shorter girl closer so Ell could talk in Carmilla's ear. Carmilla was far too aware of Ell's body pressed against her own, and from the wicked grin on Ell's face, Ell was too.

'Is it?'

_Maybe it isn't._

'Get us a table,' Ell shouted. 'I'll get some drinks.'

Carmilla would have preferred a quieter table, somewhere near the wall, but on her circuit around the room, she found that all of those were taken. The only table that wasn't taken was one closer to the dancers. Carmilla sighed.

When Ell returned, she found Carmilla sitting stiffly, turned away from the platform and eyes firmly on anything but the dancers. 'Well, isn't this a surprise?' Ell said, placing the plate of drinks on the table. 'You're embarrassed.'

Carmilla spluttered protests as Ell fell apart with laughter. 'No! I'm just ... not used to this.'

'Don't go out much?'

Carmilla shook her head. She snuck a glance at the dancer in front of her. She was a Rodian with long hair and wearing a small top and little else. She allowed herself a moment to watch as the Rodian moved fluidly, focused on the people on the other side of the platform, before she looked back to see Ell staring at her.

'You seem far too comfortable here,' Carmilla threw back before Ell could say anything.

The flashing lights made Ell's movements jerky as Ell down a drink. Carmilla followed suit.

'My uncle used to own a place like this. Completely legitimate, mind you. He treated them well, and they wanted to be there. I spent a lot of my childhood in the back rooms.'

Carmilla was about to ask about Ell's parents, but a Twi'lek dancer interrupted them. Carmilla's body language was still closed-off, but Ell was all smiles as the dancer approached. They exchanged a few words that Carmilla couldn't hear, and Ell slipped a few credits over to Carmilla.

'What are these for?'

But the answer was obvious when the dancer eyed Carmilla.

 _Oh, Force._ Carmilla downed another drink, then looked up.  _Mircalla Karnstein, the mighty Anzat Sith, defeated by a dancer._

The Twi'lek moved over Carmilla's lap. Carmilla shifted in her chair, unsure how to react. It wasn't as though she was  _uncomfortable_ exactly - she had pulled moves like this herself when she had to - but it was one thing doing it herself and another thing watching passively.

As though Ell could sense it - she might have, Carmilla reasoned later, without realising she was sensing it - she reached over and gripped Carmilla's upper arm. Ell's thumb rubbing her arm was doing more to her than the Twi'lek's moves.

That wasn't an insult. The Twi'lek was good.

Carmilla hooked a couple of credits into the Twi'leks flimsy top, and the Twi'lek grinned appreciatively. She rolled her body forwards and bent down to talk to Carmilla.

'Not bad for your first time, newbie.'

Carmilla wondered how the Twi'lek would react if she knew that the awkward girl underneath her was a powerful Sith. Carmilla handed over the rest of the credits, suddenly uninterested, and the Twi'lek went back to Ell.

Ell's hand left Carmilla's arm. Carmilla watched as the dancer moved sensuously over Ell and found herself wishing it was her. The bite of jealousy almost took her by surprise, but really, she should have expected it.

_Jealousy leads to anger._

The Jedi wisdom came out of nowhere. Her Master liked to tease her with it; it was something of a private joke between them, something they used to laugh at the ridiculousness of the Jedi Order.  _But it actually makes sense,_ Carmilla thought as she clenched her jaw.  _I shouldn’t be jealous. She’s just a target._

Except that she wasn’t.

The hunger came back with a vengeance.

She needed to feed.

Carmilla stood, shouted at Ell that she was going to the refreshers, and without waiting for a reply, pushed through the crowd. She found an empty stall, and slammed the door, not even bothering to lock it as she leant against it, breathing heavily.

'You alright in there?' a faceless voice asked, pounding on the connecting partition.

'I'm fine,' Carmilla replied through gritted teeth, wondering if it was too much to climb under and pin her down while she fed.

She had to get out of there. So much activity, emotions running wild - the energy was almost overwhelming. Carmilla cursed her own stupidity. She shouldn't have come without feeding first. Although her mastery of Force techniques had improved vastly over the years, increasing her self-control, there was still a chance of history repeating itself.

And she had been doing so well.

Carmilla wasn't sure how she managed to stumble outside. Ell wasn't at their table. Carmilla could have pushed past her and she wouldn't have even realised.

There was a side-street near the club and Carmilla entered the darkness gratefully. Her ears pricked; though weakened, Carmilla could still hear - and sense - a lifeform nearby.

_Sorry, buddy. Your unlucky day._

Carmilla pounced.

 

'There you are!'

Ell looked visibly relieved as she rushed over to Carmilla, who was emerging from the side-street. 'Thank the stars, I thought you got ... kidnapped or mugged or -'

Carmilla laughed. She felt light, free, unburdened. 'It'd take more than a sleazy lifeform in the Underground to mug me, cutie.'

'Why do I believe that?' Ell slipped her arm around Carmilla's again, and Carmilla smiled. 'Didn't you tell me first time that we met that you were dangerous?'

'Did I?'

'Well, something along those lines.'

They moved a little awkwardly together; Ell must have been slightly tipsy, because they kept bumping into one another. Not that Carmilla minded.

'Everyone has the potential to be dangerous. Even you,' Carmilla added, teasingly.

'Well, I am in politics.'

Carmilla snorted. 'I can't believe I just went to a club with a wannabe politician.'

'What do  _you_ do, anyway?'

'I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you,' Carmilla retorted.

Ell laughed, and Carmilla could have placed her among the stars.

'Touché.'

 

They had made it to the Senatorial apartments where Ell was staying, in Perry's household. They slowed down as they reached the turbolift. Neither were ready to say goodbye.

'Thank you,' Ell said quietly.

'For what?'

'For ... wandering.'

Carmilla smiled. 'Still believe in the Will of the Force? Which, by the way, is just a fancy way of saying "fate".'

'Yes,' Ell replied firmly, looking directly at Carmilla. And as Carmilla looked back, she found herself agreeing, because if anyone could make Carmilla believe in fate, it was her.

Ell leant forward and placed her lips lightly on Carmilla's. Carmilla didn't move for a moment, but when she leant forward, Ell had already moved back.

'Goodnight,' Ell whispered.

Carmilla breathed deeply, Ell's perfume wrapped around her head. 'Goodnight.'

The stars were hidden by a blanket of clouds. As Carmilla wandered away, she thought it was the one thing that could have made that night perfect.

 

*             *             *

 

Although several of her sisters had advised her to stay in her quarters, Danny could be seen limping around the Summer Society base, overseeing preparations. Danny had taken Laura's warning from the night previous to heart, and the threat of a second wave attack from the Zeta brothers hung heavily over everyone.

'I hope you realise that if it does come to fighting, you'll be up the back?'

Danny scoffed so hard she ended up coughing. 'Please.'

'Danny, you're  _wounded_.'

'So?'

Nothing would get in the way of Danny's chance for revenge. Not even a sore leg and a years-old back injury.

Not for the first time that day, Danny slipped a hand to make sure her comlink was still in her pocket, even though she hadn't taken it out once since putting it in there. Again, not for the first time, she berated herself for waiting - waiting for what?

_It's not like she's going to call you right away._

_She's a Jedi; she's probably busy._

'Hey, Danny?'

It was Ra'sha. The Twi'lek was fiddling with one of her blue  _lekku_ nervously, and there was a worried expression on her face. Danny put a hand on her shoulder.

'Hey. Don't worry. We'll kick some Zeta ass and then get back to worrying about credits, okay?'

Ra'sha smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. 'It's ... it's not that. It's Elsie.'

'Yeah, where is she, anyway?'

'That's what I'm ... Danny, Elsie's missing. No one's seen her for days.'

Danny growled. 'Zeta?'

'No one knows. She's just ... disappeared. No note, nothing. You'd think if it was a Zeta, they would have gloated about it.' Ra'sha put on an obnxious voice, '"Beware, we have your sister", blah blah blah.'

Danny pushed her hair back. 'Either way, it doesn't matter. Elsie's missing, and I -'

She turned away. Ra'sha's face softened; she recognised the clench of her leader's jaw. 'Danny, it's not your fault.'

'It doesn't matter! I vowed to protect you all and - and - she could be in trouble!'

'You can't protect everyone. No matter how hard you try.'

When Danny turned around, Ra'sha had left, leaving her alone in a crowd of bustling Summer Society sisters. Danny took a deep breath. Her vision was fuzzy.

_Can I do this?_

Danny didn't even remember stumbling over, but when she finally took note of her surroundings, she was hunched and using her hand to lean on the wall for support. Her eyes were closed and her breath came quickly.  _I could do with some of those Jedi techniques right now._

_Everything’s falling apart._

The alarm blared. It took two rounds of the siren for Danny to eventually notice.

'Is this them?' a sister asked worriedly.

 _What else could it be?_ Danny stood, making sure she hid how much her hands were shaking. Everyone was looking at her for orders. Danny could only hope that she'd give the right ones. 'Get ready. Positions, everyone!' she yelled.

 _Kicking Zeta butt? This I_ can  _do._

_Soon, Elsie. We're coming. We just have to take care of a few pests first._

 

'Ready, Zetas?'

'Ready!' they boombed back at Kirsch.

Kirsch beamed proudly at his boys. He knew all of them well; some of them he had known for most of his life, sheltering him and protecting him when things got rough. He owed them his life. 'This is it, boys. This is the night we say goodbye to the Psycho Society for good!'

The caverns erupted in roars. Kirsch could see young Will Eisen, decked out in face-paint, grinning eagerly. Kirsch saw a lot of himself in Will - a runaway teen discontent at home - and made a mental note to keep a close eye on him when he could.

'Alright, men. Move out!'

 

This was Will's first battle. He should have been there at the swoop race, but a surge from the Force told him it was probably a bad idea. And he had been right - he had heard later that the Jedi he had seen Kirsch leading through the base had turned up. He had been angry at Kirsch for flaunting the Zetas so obviously -  _what if he had been recognised?_ \- but Kirsch assured him there was no possible way he could have been recognised and gave him a mask to wear just in case.

But this was it. This was his moment. This was when he would finally prove himself. He  _was_ good enough. He was -

'Will.'

 _Blast!_ Will recognised that voice and wanted nothing to do with it.  _How did she find me?_ He tried to slip through the crowd, to lose himself within the sea of brothers, but something stopped his legs from moving. He snarled, trying to break the Force hold. A couple of brothers asked what his problem was, but most were too eager to get to the Summer Society to worry.

'You can't escape, Will.'

'Let go of me!' he growled.

'You knew we would find you eventually.'

'I don't want anything to do with the Jedi!'

The cries and chants of the Zetas had faded, and Will's angry voice echoed through the cavern. They were alone.

'I'm not here on behalf of the Jedi.'

Lilita Morgan emerged from the shadows. Will eyed her distrustfully.

'You've done well for yourself, so far. Though throwing your lot in with a lowly swoop gang ...' Lilita shook her head, tutting.

Will's anger flared. 'They've been good to me! They gave me a home, a place where I belonged!'

'So much anger for such a young man.' Lilita sounded amused. 'What if I can provide a better place for you?'

'I - I don't understand.'

Lilita released her hold on Will, and as she suspected, he didn't move. She smiled at him, like a shark to its prey. 'You never belonged with the Jedi. You knew that. That's because you were meant for something  _more_.'

'What, the Sith?' Will snorted. His smirk faded when Lilita didn't deny it. 'Is this some kind of sick joke?'

'Do you see me laughing, Will?'

'You're a - you're a  _Sith?_ '

'Either I can be offended you don't consider to me capable of that, or I can take it as a sign I'm  _that_ good. You're lucky I'm in a good mood, Will.'

'And ... the only reason you're telling me is ...'

'I want you to join me. Something's coming. The Jedi are no longer relevant. With me, you'll have a place for your very own. You'll have power. You'll be given a chance to prove yourself - isn't that what you want?'

Will paused.

He looked back in the direction of the Zetas.

Then he stared at Lilita.

'So. What do I call you, then?'

The Dean smiled. 'You can call me ... Mother.'

 

*             *             *

 

The caverns of the Silas underground were empty; the word of the so-called "secret" Zeta invasion of Summer Society territory had seemed to spread and everyone was holed up safely out of the way.

Except for one.

Standing in dark of no-man's land, her green lightsaber out and buzzing, was Laura Hollis. Both gangs came to a halt at the sight of the tiny Jedi, her head bowed, her green lightsaber casting a large shadow against the cavern wall.

'Laura!' Danny shouted. She tried and failed to keep the happiness out of her voice.

'Yeah, that's right, your royal Jediness,' Kirsch yelled. 'Go over to your girlfriend! So much for the neutrality of the Jedi!'

The Zetas roared. Laura lifted her head.

'I'm not taking sides.' She spoke normally, but her voice carried. 'I'm here to make sure you come to a truce.'

'Alright,' Kirsch said. 'I'll agree to a truce. Here are my terms: the Summer Society disband and we get control of the Underground.'

The Summer Society booed.

'Jedi, if you don't get out of the way, I'll shoot you.'

Laura glared at Kirsch and, while keeping eye contact, rose her lightsaber to a combat-ready position.

'Laura.'

Danny's voice was pleading. Laura couldn't bring herself to look back.

'Boys, get ready to shoot. Get your vibroblades at the ready.'

Laura cursed under her breath. They were forcing her hand. 'Please! Just leave now. No one will get hurt.'

'You don't get it, do you?' Kirsch yelled angrily. 'There will be no truce. There can be no truce - not between us, never! Whenever we pass each other in the hallways, bump into each other in a cantina or a club, someone will  _always_ get hurt, truce or not! Either that or we stay in our own territories for our entire lives! It can only be one or the other - both ain't going to work.'

'I hate to say it, but he's right, Laura,' Danny said.

'Finally we agree on something, eh, Summer Pyscho?'

Laura gritted her teeth. Failure was not an option for her, but in this, it looked as though she wasn't going to have a choice. She straightened, took a deep breath, and -

She deactivated her lightsaber.

'Laura?'

'Have fun destroying yourselves,' Laura said, her voice hollow. 'I will not take part in it.'

' _Laura_!'

Danny's scream was the last thing Laura heard before the blaster shots rang out as soon as she walked away.

_I'm sorry, Danny._

_I'm so sorry._

 

*             *             *

 

'Ah, Carmilla, there you are.'

Carmilla hated it whenever the Dean did that: simply burst into her room without even knocking.  _Forgot to lock it. Damn._

'What?'

The Dean rose an eyebrow at her. Carmilla sighed.

'Sorry. What, my  _Master?_ Mother. Whatever.'

'Someone's moody tonight.'

And she was. And with good reason - a reason that she would never tell the Dean. She had spent the night with Ell - the best night, the most wonderful night that she had had in  _years_ , a night that made her feel  _normal,_ without a bounty hanging over her head, or the responsibility of the Sith to live up to, or the whole Lophiiformes business.

It wasn't that coming back to the Lophiiformes base brought that all back to her.

It was because she knew that she would do anything she could to make sure Ell never became a part of it.

And that would get messy.

Carmilla merely replied with a look. The Dean sighed.

'I just want to introduce you to someone, that's all.'

'A new recruit? Can't it wait until morning?'

'Not exactly.' There was a smug look on the Dean's face as she ushered in a teenage boy. Carmilla frowned and lowered the datapad she had been staring at.

'This is Will.'

'Hi,' Will said, nervously. 'Are you a Sith too?'

Carmilla ignored him. She frowned. 'Will?' That runaway Jedi you told me about?'

'The one and the same. Only - he's not a Jedi anymore.'

Carmilla gazed at Will suspiciously. 'Okay. Great.'

'Well. Now you've met.' The Dean put a hand on Will's shoulder. 'Go wait outside; I'll show you to your quarters in a moment.'

'Yes, Mother.'

'Wait - what?' Carmilla sat up in bed as though she had been shocked by a power coupling. ' _Mother_?'

The Dean turned back to Carmilla with a smile. 'How's Ell?'

Carmilla was stunned speechless. The Dean said nothing more, only smiled for a few lingering moments before left Carmilla's rooms. The doors slid closed smoothly, leaving a ringing silence in her wake.

_She knows._


End file.
